


Care Diem

by ZodiacBiologist



Series: Campus Diem [7]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Coffee Shops, F/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-02-18 01:56:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21503371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZodiacBiologist/pseuds/ZodiacBiologist
Summary: When Harrison packed and left for college, he took very little with him; including care of himself. It's not long before his health and not asking for help catches up with him. If this doesn't kill him, Nerris will.
Relationships: David/Gwen (Camp Camp), Harrison/Nerris (Camp Camp), Max/Nikki (Camp Camp)
Series: Campus Diem [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/823053
Comments: 13
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

Harrison had always been careful with himself. Running, jumping, swimming- anything physically jarring or that could cause injury was something he did with caution. Especially being this far away from home, and the nearest trusted hospital for that matter. 

Any little or big pain was handled with a salt taped to it, and it usually went away rather quickly. Though, this newest pain made him weary. When he was left alone with his own thoughts, he found that it felt even more painful than before. 

Lucky for him, his roommate didn't leave him much time to think on his own.

“Ya know what would make this cigarette better?”

This wasn’t the first time Harrison had heard this phrase, and it certainly wasn’t the first time he had heard it uttered by Preston. While it wasn’t a question he had ever cared to answer, Harrison was always curious as to what the answer may be; it was different every time, after all. While Preston didn’t much care for smoking, the brief company and conversation made living with him easier. That and Harrison didn’t often have any friends who were willing to join him when he snuck away for a smoke break. 

This often lead to some of the more lonely moments of his college life. 

And Harrison was one hell of a force to deal with when he was feeling lonely; Preston, unfortunately, had learned that the hard way. 

“I’m sorry. Say that again?” Taking a drag of his own cigarette, Harrison looked up.

As he spoke, a thin cloud of smoke trailed from his lips. Twisting around his face like a small dragon before disappearing on a short breeze that flowed through the stairwell. Based on the blush his roommate dawned so suddenly, Harrison was almost positive his roommate was now thinking that the display was one of the most attractive things he had ever seen- but no one was asking about that. 

It was just an observation. 

Snapping back quickly, Preston grinned, “I said, “Do you know what would make this cigarette even better?”.”

“No, I don’t.” Harrison tapped the end of his cigarette. “But I feel that you’ll tell me.”

A pause for dramatic effect. 

“Wham!”

Harrison blinked. 

“Wham? Like the band or the sound effect?” 

“I’m talkin’ ‘Last Christmas’- Classic ‘WHAM’, my friend! That’s what would make this cigarette better!”

Preston’s sudden enthusiasm was nothing new to Harrison. Though the obscurity of what was causing it this time actually sent Harrison into a fit of laughter. One that rattle his ribs and made the back of his head ache from the lack of air. 

Somewhere in the midst of his laughing, he had noticed it. The short, pulsing pain that bloomed at one’s side after too much exertion, such as running to long or lifting too high. Well, he couldn’t really call it a pain, as it felt more like a stitch. Unlike most of his other pains however,, this one was gone as soon as it started. 

“Weird…Preston, you are weird.” Harrison remarked, kneading the spot where the stitch had been. 

Upon looking up, he found that his roommate had abandoned him.

Preston had apparently made his way to the roof of Harrison's car while he wasn’t looking, and was now in the midst of displaying his love for Wham’s only good Christmas song. Harrison scrunched up his nose, and listened with burning ears to every missed note that Preston was belting out. He would get halfway through the song before he even bothered to acknowledge Harrison again. 

“-THE VERY NEXT DA-...What’s wrong?” Preston asked. 

“H-huh? Nothing is wrong.” Harrison hummed, moving it to tap the ash off of his cigarette once again. “Just laughing at you is all.” 

Preston knew better than to press for answers, Harrison knew. So Preston instead resumed his careless singing, only stopping when he lost his footing and tumbled off of Harrison’s car. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

They say laughter is the best medicine. In any case, laughter SHOULD do more good than harm for most people. Especially when one laughs while having a smoke break with their roommate. 

“Still got a stitch in my side… Must be karama for laughing so hard.” 

Had it not been for ‘Last Christmas’ playing in his head on a loop, Harrison would’ve forgotten all about his newest pain by the time he woke up for work the next morning. No- scratch that. Even if the song wasn’t stuck in his head, Harrison would still be reminded, as the pain had returned the next morning. 

“Just gotta get used to this, then…” Harrison thought to himself as he pulled on a jacket, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Like Preston, it’ll go away and dance on my car eventually.”

Starting up his usual brisk pace toward the door, Harrison found that it only made the once soft pain flare up to a noticeably uncomfortable degree, so much so that he had to stop just two steps short of the door and grind his teeth. It felt as though he had rerun the mile in High School. 

“Okay...this is gonna take a LOT of getting used to…” Now, taking slow, anticipated steps, Harrison had finally made it out to the hallway, careful not to make any jarring movements. The usual walk to Harrison’s car took almost twice as long as usual, leaving the illusionist with no extra time to dwell on the matter. Far more worried about arriving to work on time, Harrison sucked in a breath, ground his teeth, and put the car into drive.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

The bell above the door let Harrison know that Nerris had finally arrived to the coffee shop, albeit a bit early. Shaking her umbrella free of access water, Nerris slipped into her usual spot by the window. A kind smile graced Harrison’s face as he watched her pick up a sugar packet and dump the contents into her mouth. 

“Good morning, Narris the Beautiful.” Harrison called from behind the counter, already scribbling his girlfriend’s name onto a cup. 

“And a glorious morning to you, Harrison the Cute.” Narris called back, “Now hurry with my drink.”

With a roll of his eyes and a flick of his wrist, Harrison began to make her drink, as he did every morning. As he did, he felt the phantom stitch at his side, seemingly opening wider. The usual fluidity he once performed with was immediately wrung out of him as the pain shot through him, his already shaking hands dropping the cup he held.

“Harrison?” Nerris glanced up, alerted by the sound. The man simply shook his head, bracing his arm on the counter as the pain slowly subsided. 

“I’m fine, love. Its nothing I can’t handle…” Harrison assured her, straightening himself out to reach for a new cup. 

To ensure there was no repeat of the earlier incident, Harrison’s movements became slow, calculated, truly thinking and planning each one before he made it, though, pain still found its way to him.

“Harrison, you look like one suspicous Hobbit hiding a ring of power in their pocket.” Nerris frowned, clearly not buying the act. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine. Here.” He all but mumbled, setting Nerris’ drink on the table, then settling into a chair across from her. Despite having her favorite beverage in front of her, Nerris made no attempt to take it 

“What’s going on?” She asked, crossing her arms on the table. 

“What? Nothing is going on.” Harrison exhaled slowly. “Just a phantom ache.” 

“Don’t give me that crap.” Nerris said sternly, slapping a hand over her boyfriend’s forehead. “Now hold still.” 

“Nerris?”

“Ah! Just as I suspected. You’re warm,” The woman noted, “Like, fires of Mount Doom…"

Harrison shook his head and batted her hand away. He then folded his arms on the table, resting his chin on top, sitting still as the woman carded her fingers through his hair. As usual, the gentle touch had Harrison feeling almost like his usual self in no time.

"Thank you, Nerris. But I assure you, I’m fine.” The illusionist said, “You know how I get when I think too much about pain. It gets to me is all.”

“I know. I just worry sometimes when you don’t act like you.” Narris pouted. “I know how you feel about the hospitals around here, but sickness doesn’t stop just because you go away to school.” 

“I’m sure it just has everything to do with how hard I laughed at Preston last night… He was being rather silly again, as you know.” Harrison smiled briefly at the thought. “I think I may have pulled something when I leaned back to laugh my ass off at him.”

“What was he doing?” Nerris asked, taking a sip from her coffee cup.

“Dancing to a ‘WHAM’ cover, choreographed by himself, on my car.” 

The sudden spray of warm coffee on his face wasn’t at all unpleasant feeling, but it was surprisingly. Narris was now laughing her own ass off and Harrison couldn’t help but find it both adorable and infectious, as he too began to laugh, mindful of his side this time.

“O-Oh, I see how you could’ve gotten hurt from that.” Narris giggled before her face suddenly turned serious. “But seriously. Let's get you looked at just in case. I know a really good doctor who-”

Before she could finish, the coffee shop door opened, leading in a hoard of college students on their way to their way too morning classes and study sessions. Frowning, Harrison quickly jumped to his feet, tied his apron tighter, and took off for the counter. 

“Maybe later, my dove-” Harrison called over his shoulder, before adding, “Stay as long as you’d like!” 

And, with that, Harrison was back to his grind (pun intended), though, he didn't move as fluidly as he used to.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great to be back! College life is wrapping up for me finally and I have a bit more time (and more college experiences) to write! 
> 
> The opening sequence was based on an actual interaction my roommate and I had our sophmore year. We thought it was hilarious, my mom did not. I have since stopped smoking, so Harrison will most likely curb the habit eventually. Read on to find out!


	2. Chapter 2

Every college student knew by now that 6am was for sleeping...Unless you were Harrison, of course, who always offered to work the opening shift at work. 

By now, however, he had become the master of getting ready for work in total silence as not to wake his roommate. Preston was one hell of a force to deal with if woken up before his alarm. 

Today proved to be a challenge, though. 

Yesterday's uncomfortable stitch had turned into today's almost unbearable pain, accompanied by chills and the inability to get warm despite the shower turning Harrison's skin pink. 

Even the act of getting dressed became a chore overnight...not that any of that would stop Harrison from going to work. If anything could make his day better, it would be standing behind the counter, making the magic happen-

The room just needed to stop spinning first.  
_________________________________

Every college student knew by now that 6am was for sleeping...Unless you were Harrison, of course, who always offered to work the opening shift at work. 

Why the hell he did that, Preston would never know and the first three shifts had caused a riff so bad between the two that Nerf had to pull the two off of each other. With some fine tuning, a couple of boxes of ear plugs, and a the best sleep mask they could find at Bullseye, Preston's early bird roommate hadn't been an issue...key phrase, 'Hadn't been' 

WHAM!

Just like the sound effect, not the band, 

Preston more so felt than heard the thud, tearing him from his sleep and launching him into the worst mood alive.

"Now what the FUCK could that be!?" The man yelped, sitting up in his bed, removing the earplugs first, Preston made quick work on the mask, "Harrison, I swear to Go- Huh!?"

It's not everyday you wake up at 6am to find your roommate unconscious on the floor, no matter what the movies tell you. 

Had Harrison been real into drinking, Preston, like the good friend he was, would have written this off and gone back to bed.

However, he did know one fundamental truth about his roommate, and that's was that he would never, no matter the circumstances, be late to open for work; Even with the most grueling hangover known to man, Harrison would be at work at exactly 6:30am- Being unconscious on the floor at 6:35 was definitely cause for concern.

Hopping up front his own bed and stepping carefully over Harrison, Preston flung their bedroom door open; If anyone knew what to do, it would be Nerf, whose major in nursing had always come in handy before. 

Unfortunately for everyone involved, Preston's frantic knocking had not roused his boyfriend, rather, Max, who was an even bigger force that Preston to reckon with at 6am.

"What?" The shorter of the two barked gruffly, anger evident all over his face. Not even the intense worry on Preston's face could jar him.

"Max! Where's Nerf!? We have a bit of a-"

"God, some boyfriend you are, asshole. Nerf left for his internship at the hospital an hour ago. Now, if that's all you need me for, I'm-"

Max didnt get to finish his sentence as he soon found himself being dragged into the room across from his. If not for the hands clenched tight around his arm, Max would have tripped right over Harrison's limp body. 

"Holy shit! What did ya do to him?" Max yelped, taking a step back.

Preston let go of his arm, "I found him like this!"

"Alright, calm down...let's, uh...let's get him into bed and, uh...ya know... Figure this out." Max wasn't about to admit he had any real training in first aid, but this seemed like the most logical approach. 

Lucky for both men, Harrison was the lightest of the three of them, making getting him into bed one of the easier tasks they would do that morning. 

"He's warm...like, in a not good way." Max noted, cupping the boy's face to look for any signs of bruising; There were none, indicating Harrison had probably caught himself before hitting the ground.

"S-should we call someone?" Preston asked. Max shrugged.

"I mean, probably. I'm not a doctor or anything...I might call my dad to see at what temperature you combust at, but other than that…"

With an uncomfortable silence between the three, Preston finally moved over to his night stand to grab his phone, dialing in his boyfriend's number.   
_________________________________

"Wait, so you found him unconscious and he was really hot?" Nerf tried slowly, beyond confused at his boyfriend's rambled explanation.

"Like, temperature wise! Not physically!" Preston clarified, now pacing about the room.

"Okay. Don't panic, but I think he might need a doctor...like, he's still breathing right?"

Preston glanced at Max, who nodded shortly.

"Alright...Um..try getting a hold of his parents for an insurance card and see if you can't wake him up...I'll let the staff know you're coming." Nerf tried slowly, but it was evident anything he said was going to freak his boyfriend out.

Max, being the reasonable one of the two at the moment, got to work trying to unlock Harrison's phone...which was a lot harder than it sounded. After all, a magician never revealed their secrets, and that included phone passwords. 

"Fuck this!" Man finally groaned, tossing the phone back onto the bed and turning to storm out of the room.

"Where are you going!?" Preston went to follow, only for the door to be slammed in his face. 

Max didn't call home often and he certainly wasn't going to do it with Preston frantically leaning over his shoulder. Grabbing his own phone off the charger, Max scrolled casually through his contacts. He wasn't about to call panicking the way Preston had called Nerf. 

Pressing David's contact, Max waited patiently for him to answer...then one ring turned to two...then three...then-, "Damn it dad, pick up…" Max mumbled.

"Max? Everything okay, buddy?" David's voice lacked all of its usual excitement, not that he wasn't happy to hear from his son, he was just extremely confused. Max rarely called and definitely never at 7am now.

"Uh, listen. Do you still have all the Camp Campbell parents saved in your phone?"

"Uh, no, but I do still have everyone's old files. Why?"

"David? Who is that? Don't they know it's 7am?" Max could hear Gwen groan. Judging by the squeaking of springs he heard after, he either interrupted something or he had just woke his parents. He really hoped her just woke them.

"Your son. Here, talk to him." David's tone had got serious. With a few more squeaky springs and some shuffling, Gwen spoke up.

"Max? Is everything okay?"

"Uh...kinda. We sorta need to taken Harrison to the hospital-"

"Oh God, not another one!" Max could hear David in the background, followed by the frantic shuffling of paperwork.

"So help me God, Child, if another one of you-" Gwen started, before cutting herself off, "You're not trying to hide this from us?" 

"No, Mom! Jesus. I think Harrison might actually be really sick right now and were wasting time yelling at-"

Cutting each off ran in the family it seemed as David grabbed the phone back from Gwen. 

"Which hospital are you going to? The one by the campus?"

"Yes." Max groaned.

"Alright, just worry about that. I'll give Harrison's parents a call. Your mother and I will head out that way, too."

"Thanks, uh...I'll let you know if anything-"

Again with the cutting off,

"Hey, Max, you might wanna get in here!" Preston called from the other room.

"Call you back, love you!" Max finished, before ending the call. 

What could possibly be wrong now?


	3. Chapter 3

"Well...at least he's awake...kinda looks possessed when he's puking, ya know?" Max crossed his arms, watching in mild disgust. 

"Erid says she'll cover his shift this morning. She was going to get Nerris before she lef-" Preston began slowly, though it was obvious there was a detail he didn't want to share by the way he dropped his voice.

As if, ironically, magic, the puking seemed to stop suddenly and Harrison lifted his head from the bucket.

"D-don' t-tell Nerris a-a-and no h-hospital!" The absolute venom in his voice made Max realize just why Preston wanted to keep that last bit quiet.

"First thing he said when he woke up," Preston mumbled, "But if anyone is going to convince him, it's her…"

"David is trying to call his parents and is gonna head out this way since God knows they're not gonna answer." Max replied, flipping through his text messages; he already knew they didn't answer. He also knew that Nerris knew now, thanks to a text from Nikki.

Things were going to get very interesting.

"Come on, Harrison, you really should- AIM FOR THE BUCKET, OH MY GOD!" Preston yelped, practically shoving the boy's head in the right direction. 

Scratch that; things were already very interesting.

"'M fine…" Harrison mumbled from his place in the bucket.

Max rolled his eyes. If he had to watch Harrison puke up everything but his religion one more time in his college career, he was gonna lose it.

"Alright, man, we can do this the easy way or we can call Nerris. That simple." Max crossed his arms again. 

Harrison stared back, but it was more as if he zoned out, rather than actually think over his choices. Finally, he gave a short nod. 

"Fucking finally." Preston groaned, turning to search for his jacket. It's not like they needed to get dressed up or anything...it was just a hospital.

Hospitals probably saw college kids in pajamas all the time. 

"Any news on-" Preston paused, tugging his hoodie over his head, then looking back at Max. 

The scowl on his face let Preston know that now wasn't the time to ask about Harrison's parents. Though, it probably wasn't that they didn't care about their son, it was probably just too fucking early for phone calls...even emergency ones…

"Alright, Harrison, let's go." Max insisted, slipping an arm around his friend's back; this was when reality really set it. No human, magical or not, should ever be that warm. Max would have been lying if he said it wasn't unsettling.

The second most unsettling thing was watching Harrison try to stand. It looked more as if someone had tried a rope around his neck and was dragging him upward, and the only thing keeping him from being hanged was Max's arm around his waist. 

"Alright, Preston, get his other side or we're never making it to the parking garage." The shorter man urged. They had already wasted enough time deciding to go that they couldn't waste anymore waiting for Harrison to drag himself anywhere. 

Lucky for everyone involved, though, they wouldn't have to walk all the way to the parking garage. They trio had barely cleared the front entrance of their building when they were assaulted by the annoying blare of a car horn. 

"Get in, losers!" Nikki called from the passenger side of Nerris' car, which was double parked in the staff lot. The driver herself seemed less than willing to wait around. 

"Oh, fuck." Harrison groaned, but that was about all the protest they got from him.

"Be mad at us later." Max urged, trying to pick up the pace at the sight of the two disgruntled women. 

After a semester of getting Nikki in and out of vehicles, throwing Harrison in was no trouble at all. The real agony was the car ride itself, in which everyone, including Nikki, sat in complete silence. The tension, however, hung heavy in the air; they were all tired and overwhelmed by the whole situation. Sure, they had seen some shit at Camp Campbell and even Nikki's accident had been traumatic to say the least, but that was all sudden-

There had been little signs about Harrison being sick over the last few days, so it wasn't like anyone could say they hadn't seen something like this coming. With that being said, the kids had time to react this time...only no one really knew how. 

It didn't feel as urgent as anything else they had faced, yet something still didn't feel right…

Whatever. 

They were taking care of it now and that's all that mattered. Harrison had even given up on his earlier protest and was definitely on board with going to the hospital.

"How you doing, Harrison?" Nikki asked, reaching into the backseat to hold his hand. 

"Shoot me."

"Uh...how bout no, buddy." Nikki smiled gently at the boy, though her tone gave away her concern. 

With the hospital now in view, Nerris finally spoke up, "You three take him in. I'm going to park the car."

"Don't you want to go in with him? I can park-" Max began, but their driver shook her head.

"It's fine, just hurry up...it won't matter once he's signed in anyway..." 

After Nikki's accident, Nerris had become well versed in the ways of the emergency room, so there was no argument after that. Sure enough, once Harrison had been signed in and whisked away by a nurse, there wasn't too much else to do.

"Now what?" Preston asked, sinking into a nearby chair. The misplaced hours of sleep were beginning to catch up with him and, evidently, everyone else in their group.

Nerris took a chair beside him and pushed her glasses up on her forehead to rub her eyes, "Nothing. There is literally nothing we can do…"

"We could, uh...wait for my parents or, um...Shit, we could get breakfast or something." Max suggested, shoving his hands in his pockets. Boy, did he hate hospitals, and if anything was going to convince him of the severity of the situation, it would be being in one. 

Glances were exchanged amongst the four young adults; It didn't feel right to just leave, regardless of whether or not their presence in the waiting room was necessary. Even if they did leave, they would still end up spending the rest of the morning wishing they hadn't. 

Hospital staff wouldn't give non family members any information once the patient was admitted; not even Nerf would tell them anything, no matter how many times they'd ask. The best they could do to feel helpful was just to take up space; 

That was 'doing something', right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I've been to college and I was certainly no stranger to taking friends and roommates to the hospital and various other social services. 
> 
> It's crazy during the process of getting them from point A to point B, because after that, its suddenly out of your hands and all you can really do is wait.


	4. Chapter 4

With the unanimous decision to remain in the waiting room, with the exception of Preston, who had left for coffee, the waiting game began for Nerris, Max, and Nikki. Nurses filtered in and out of rooms while patients were being admitted and discharged like clockwork. 

It had been almost an hour since Harrison had arrived and the gang was getting restless. Nikki had curled up in her chair, using Max's shoulder as a pillow; The boy flipped through various apps on his phone, occasionally answering his text messages before resuming his game of Candy Crush.

Nerris, on the other hand, was less than relaxed. While she had all the faith in the world that her fiance would be fine, she couldn't help but let her mind wonder. How did this happen? How did she not notice? Or did she notice and just not do enough to prevent- wait...could she have prevented this?

She didn't have much time to dwell on that when Preston returned with their drinks. 

"Caramel latte for Nerris, black for Max, chocolate milk for-," Preston glanced over at the sleeping girl before rolling his eyes, "-And she's asleep. Nice."

"Shut up, Preston; You had all of us up early." Max commented, sitting up straight to take a sip of his coffee, "Eh...better when Harrison makes it…"

"Yes, well, he can't make it right now because he's DYING!" Preston shot back, earning the gang a few glances.

"Will both of you shut it!? This could be serious!" Nerris mumbled, prompting both boys to lean in to hear her.

"How bad could it be? I mean, he probably just has the flu or something." Max suggested.

"Wait...he said his side was hurting a few days ago, in the parking garage." Preston recalled, slowly taking a seat beside Nerris to think.

"He mentioned it yesterday, but he thought he just pulled something...he was kinda warm, too…" Nerris wracked her brain for every detail of her encounter with the boy, thinking if there had been anything else unusual from the day before. 

"Sounds like appendicitis," Nikki spoke up, slowly sitting up from her chair, "Definitely not fun. Especially if it explodes!"

"Uh huh...well, that is pretty reasonable," Max said, taking another sip of his coffee, "And obviously Nikki is still alive to talk about it, so let's just calm down and-"

"But, what if it's not fine? I mean, people have died from a rupture appendix before." Nerris asked, her coffee completely forgotten as she took to picking at her engagement ring nervously.

"Jesus, Nerris, normally Preston is the dramatic one." Max resumed scrolling through his phone. An uncomfortable silence fell over the group as Nerris struggled between remaining calm and wrecking Max's shit. 

Lucky for her, karma came in the form of her two former camp counselors.

"Alright, we're here. What's going on?" Gwen asked the moment she saw the group. 

Now in the presence of real adults, everyone, including Max, got to drop their stoic exterior.

"Oh, thank God you're here! Tell Nerris she's being ridiculous!" 

"Tell Max to stop being a dick!"

"Tell both of these amateurs that I know how to be calm!"

"Damn, this is some good chocolate milk…"

"Ah, Gwen, doesn't this remind you of the good old days at Camp Campbell?" David sighed. Gwen rolled her eyes,

"Unfortunately. Now, what happened exactly?"

Probably the wrong question to ask to a group of young adults who all had something they wanted to say. However, after years of working with kids, it didn't take long for David and Gwen to pick out the important details over the rambling. 

"He's sick, you all think it's appendicitis, and the chocolate milk from The Bean is top tier. That is what I'm taking away from this conversation." Gwen finally said, earning a collective nod from the kids. 

"Alright, then. I'll try getting a hold of Harrison's parents to let them know." David said calmly, turning to head toward the exit.

"What difference will that make? They're never gonna answer." Max scoffed, opening his phone again. 

"When all is said and done, we can at least say we made the effort, right?" David commented before exiting the room.

A silence fell over the group once more as the emotions from earlier began to die down. The group drank their coffee without a comment or glance to the others. 

This wasn't the first time they'd been to the emergency room and, knowing their track record, it wasn't going to be the last. Regardless, this time around felt different.

During Nikki's accident, there were EMTs and paramedics dictating the next move until her parents arrived; they made the choices, lifted her, and carted her away while Nerris only watched. She didn't have to do anything other than watch it happen. Hell, Max and Preston weren't even there when it happened.

This was different; While the accident had been sudden, this happened gradually. They knew something was off at least 48 hours beforehand, but couldn't do anything about it. When it did come time for action, they were on their own. It wasn't trained EMTs deciding what to do, it was Max and Preston, alone in their dorm. They took Nerris' car instead of an ambulance. Everything about this situation had fallen on them in some way. 

It was a lot to take in; the sinking feeling of adulthood finally taking hold.

David returned from outside, the expression on his face unreadable. 

"Anything?" Gwen asked. David shrugged.

"I never know with those people."

"I thought I heard David." The group looked up to see Nerf approaching, an uncharacteristic smile on his normally stoic face. 

"Well, good morning, Nerf." David smiled right back, as if his earlier frustration was completely forgotten already. 

"I see no one has killed each other, so that's good." Nerf remarked, tapping a pen against a clipboard he was holding. 

"Is there anything you can tell us about Harrison?" Nerris chirped. 

"Sorry, Nerris, you know hospital policy." Nerf replied. The pen he had been tapping suddenly slipped from his hands.

"Damn it," he mumbled, kneeling down to grab it, only for his clipboard to slip from his hands as well.

"Here, let me-" Max offered, getting up from his chair to help.

"Thanks, man." Nerf said, straightening himself back up. He moved to stand between Max and the front desk, making sure the man had time to glance through the information on the clipboard before handing it back to its owner. 

"Are you always such a fucking klutz?" Max returned to his spot. Nerf smirked.

"Only when you guys are involved." He remarked before turning to check in with another group in the waiting room.

Pulling his phone out once again, Max started up a new text message, glancing about the room as he typed, "Appendicitis. Bad, apparently."


	5. Chapter 5

Pain was definitely something Harrison was used to by now. So much so, that the pain he was in now, though much worse than many other pains he's had before, was more of a nuisance than anything. 

Had it not been for the fever that caused his dizziness and eventual loss of consciousness, he probably would have been at work by now. Even as the doctor explained he would need emergency surgery as he faded in and out, Harrison couldn't help but feel extremely annoyed.

Sure, his appendix ruptured and he could die, big fucking deal. Didn't this doctor know he had faced far worse at Camp Campbell and lived!?

Speaking of facing unspeakable terrors and surviving, Harrison soon found his anesthesia induced rest to be interrupted suddenly. There was no longer nothingness, rather, he now found himself seated at a table, a cup of tea in front of him.

"God damn it…" Harrison mumbled, irritation hitting a fever pitch, "Let me guess! I died!"

The Octopus across from him lifted his own teacup, spilling the contents across his suit, "We meet again, Young Harrison. A bit early, don't you think?"

"Uh, yeah. I do think. Let me guess, now I need to convince you why I shouldn't die." Harrison crossed his arms defensively over his chest. He didn't have time for this. 

"Are you sure you want to live, Harrison? Doesn't the sweet release of death sound far more inviting?" The Octopus reached for the tea pot to refill his now empty cup, as if he expected Harrison's answer to take a while. 

"Couldn't you just read my soul or something?" Harrison shot back. The Octopus chuckled,

"Your soul might not agree with you this time...now, Young Harrison, tell me why you shouldn't die."

If Harrison had learned anything from his last encounter with this guy, it was to not ask questions and keep your answer short...so what could he say to convince him? What was truly making his life worth living, even when everything else seemed hopeless…

"I'm getting laid."

"Fair enough."  
_________________________________

If Harrison had any regrets upon his soul returning to his body, it would be not reveling in being pain free for once. Having your soul slammed back into your body at speeds beyond human comprehension was painful enough on its own, but coupled with major surgery and other things made it almost unbearable.

Harrison watched through hooded eyes as doctors and nurses moved about his room; either they had just gotten him back or he was just coming to; either way, Harrison found himself annoyed all over again. He was annoyed by his lack of awareness in his own surroundings and the absolute helplessness he felt. Nerris would send him right back up to The Octopus if she found out he had coded and that wasn't something Harrison was ready to deal with. 

None of those thoughts mattered as whatever medication they had him own began to take over, working like magic to send him back into nothingness.  
_________________________________

Apparently convincing a space Octopus that you deserve to keep your soul can really fuck up your sense of time. What felt like the blink of an eye as far as naps went, was apparently a day and a half. Harrison glanced, bleary-eyed about his hospital room, squinting as rays of sunlight filtered through the plastic window coverings. 

While he couldn't see her, Harrison knew Nerris was tucked to his side. Nikki laid somewhere at the end of his bed, evidently using his foot as a pillow. Max and Preston took up two chairs to the right of him, all four fast asleep. How long had they been there? 

Harrison heard various voices coming from every possible direction, leaving him wondering if they were even there. Not that it really matters, though, he wasn't going to waste any energy trying to figure out where they were coming from. 

"H-how is he doing?" Huh...that kind of sounded like his mother...maybe. Could have been that nurse from earlier, too. She was nice…

"The doctor says he'll be okay." Alright, now that sounded like David a little too much to just be coincidence. Forcing his eyes open further, Harrison looked around completely.

Sure enough, he had gotten the placements of Nerris, Preston, Max, and Nikki correct. What he didn't notice before was Nerf, leaning against the wall across from him. He must've been off the clock from his internship, as he now wore pajamas in place of scrubs.

Just outside of the door, he recognized David and Gwen talking, though he couldn't see who it was they were talking to. 

"How ya feeling?" Nerf finally called across the room, pushing away from the wall to approach Harrison. The slight eye roll told him everything he needed to know, "Like you were hit by the camp bus...got it…"

"Who the fuck is talking?" Preston snapped, slowly straightening himself in his chair. No doubt that would be uncomfortable…

"Preston, shut up!" Max piped up, not even bothering to open his eyes. It had been a long day and a half for all of them. 

"Y-you s-shut up." Harrison quipped, grimacing at the way his voice shook as he spoke. It didn't matter, though, as it still had the effect he wanted. 

The remaining, sleeping members of their group suddenly perked up, eyes wide as they processed what was going on. 

"You're awake!" Nerris gasped, though her actions didn't convey her excitement. While her voice was loud and chipper, her hands were gentle, reaching out to gently fix Harrison's hair. 

"I guess so…" Harrison mumbled, still feeling too far away from existence to truly be awake. Maybe the Octopus hadn't put him completely back into his body just yet. 

He was only convinced further once David had entered the room, bringing a trail of adults behind him. He knew already that Gwen was with him, but Nerris' parents were a bit of a shock, even more so with who they brought with him.

Nerris' mother had her hand on his own mother's back, not in an attempt to push her into the room, but more as a comfort thing. Likewise, Nerris' dad had an arm thrown around Harrison's dad's shoulder, from the looks of it, to keep him from falling over from relief. 

"H-Harrison…" His mother spoke softly, moving away from Nerris' mom to go kneel beside his bed. She folded her hands in front of her, as if resisting the urge to gather him up in her arms...she hadn't done that in a long time, anyway…

"I'm okay, Mom, really...I-I'm alive, aren't I?" Harrison tried to keep the comment light hearted, but realized too late that was probably the wrong thing to say.

"You almost weren't." Nerris' dad spoke up, though his tone was just as lighthearted as Harrison's. 

"Sorry we weren't here soon; We stopped to get your in-laws." Harrison's dad said, taking a step forward, some new found confidence to approach his son coming to the surface...probably now that he couldn't move too much.

"David called us when he couldn't get a hold of your parents; it was five am for them when he called." Nerris' mother explained, going to kneel beside Harrison's mom. 

That made sense; there WAS a two hour time zone difference...It wasn't that they didn't care, it was that they were asleep!

"Oh…" Harrison yawned, then rubbed at his eyes in an attempt to clear them. Apparently his movements had everyone in a stunned silence, because the conversation immediately died once his eyes were shut...or maybe the world around him didn't exist when his eyes were closed...he wasn't too sure. 

However, when he opened his eyes again, everything was still in its place, so many eyes watching him as his senses returned to him. It was almost as unnerving as the Octopus…

"Ya know, this could've been avoided if you didn't push yourself so hard " Max commented, finally sitting up in his chair, "By the way, Ered says you owe her when you get back to work."

"I told you I was fine…"

"But you weren't fine, Harrison." Nikki moved to sit up, a look of concern etching her features. 

"Yeah...you were in pretty bad shape," Nerf added, "But you didn't hear that from me."

"It's a good thing you kids called when you did." David put a hand on Max's shoulder, his own look of concern on his face. Obviously, this could have been bad. Judging from how Max made now attempt to shrug his hand off, he was still shaken by the events of the last twenty-four hours, which said a lot coming from him.

"Oh, come on, I would have been fine," Harrison remarked before adding, "I am magical, after all."

Like one of his outdated illusions, the comment was not well received as the group exchanged looks between themselves. 

Sure, he was magical, but he definitely wasn't invincible. This had been a close call, for sure, but it definitely helped Harrison feel secure knowing he had a support network like the one he had. 

This would have made for a touching note to end off on, but no...touching moments of silence just weren't the way of the Camp Campbell Campers…

"So...what was death like?" Nikki asked, pulling her knees up to her chest. Harrison shrugged.

"Pretty annoying, actually. If I never see that space Octopus again, it would be too soon." He said, adjusting his pillow so he could sit up better.

Finally, that awkward moment of silence they were used to. 

"What the fuck kind of pain meds did they give you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap, folks! The next installment is in the works as we speak, so be sure to check that out.
> 
> Also, while I intended for Gwen to deliver the final line, I think its even more funny to pick which character would have said it on your own. Let me know in the comments who you chose.
> 
> Until next time, thanks for reading!


End file.
